The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1887-09-23
DUSKY SILHOUETTES.
INGENUITY OF THE DANDlFIED COL
ORED YOUTH OF BOSTON,.

Mixed Marriages Common Occurrence
"A Gust of Reform Strikes the Immi.
grafton Officials-The Foreign Colonies
OF the City-News and Gossip.
Especial Correspondence.
Boston, Sept 20.
happened to be walking through the
negro quarter of the city at the time of the
arrival there of some of the colored Odd
Fellows who had been gaining much glory
by their proud bearing and brilliant dress
ing in the recent parade of the order at
Springfield. They were jubilant over their
success, and smiles were broad and thick
as their neighbors gathered around to hear
them tell how they had gone, seen and
conquered. There was a been-out-all-
night look about the dropping uniforms,
but the pride in having appeared well still
shone from their faces and was reflected in
the countenances about them
The negroes were never accused of being
insensible to the charms Of dress, and there
is no spot where their fondness for rich COS
tunes can be more readily proved than
right here where 20, 900 of Bostons negroes
and light-brown people are settled.
The negro quarter of Boston is one which
is readily discovered by the stranger in
town who has occasion to go Cambridge
way. The nature of its population is appar
ent to the passer along Cambridge street
in the daytime but it is in the evening
that this part of the West End revels in
color. The people congregate on the side
walks in large numbers and many shades.
They are good -humored and inoffens!ve
crowd on the whole, though less jolly per-
haps than the groups of similarly colored
people to be found on the cross streets run
ming from Cambridge street up the side of
Beacon Hill, portion of which locality has
been taken exclusively by colored people.
1t is here, off the main thoroughfare that
the good humor of the race finds freest vent,
that the most unembarassed courtships 20
on before the eye of the passer; the scrap
ing Of the fiddle and the twiddling of the
banjo are heard, the songs of the revivalist
and impassioned voices of the saints are
borne on the air, and black, greasy, homely
content grinS at you from doorway and
window.
If you enjoy the evidences of the musical,
happy nature of the negroes you will notice
many comic incident in the neighborhood.
The fondness for fine dress which may be
observed in the alleys on the hillside will be
found in greater display on Cambridge
street. Stately figures dressed in rich satins
and moving in a decidedly cake wakish
way will oftsn prove, on close inspection, to
have chocolate colored faces.
49,.
Dudish silhouettes however, are the
most interesting feature of the streets.
There are many colored lads in the door
ways dressed in a way that even dry
goods clerk would hardly dare attempt.
They have put off the shabby clothes they
have worn during the day, or their uni
forms as walters and bellboys,
and, with their best clothes, have
put on an air of conscious superiority and
have begun telling tales of their conquests
over the opposite sex, the bellboy from the
Brunswick having manifest advantage in
this kind of lying over the hash-house
waiter who never had an opportunity to
watch the manner of the duke of Marl-
borough or any other ''ranky' man of
pleasure.
These though are not the dudish silhou-
cites referred to. The silhouettes are in
variably dressed in a style that white
skinned exquisites parted with several
months before, and exaggerate the manner
in which the Berry Wall sort of individual
used to carry his cane and trudge along the
walk.
The silhouettes carry pair of kids in
one hand, a cane grasped by the middle in
the other, wear silk hats, low-cut vests and
swelling trousers, and walk with mincing
step, straightforward through the crowd,
looking neither to one side Or the other and
wearing an air of solemn determination
that is suggestive of rough on rats.
M*m
1t has hitherto been supposed that these
dandified shadows obtained the clothing
that they wear in their nightly parade, at
second hand from the gilded visitors from
New York, whose style they ape. But
curious explanation of their wealth of ap-
parel has been given.
An inquisitive person claims to have dis
covered that these leaders of fashion have
adapted the mutual benefit plan to the needs
of their wardrobe.
number who happen TO be of about the
same size have formed club in which a
community of clothing prevails. One of
them calls on his sweetheart Sunday night
in the same stunning outfit in which his
fellow will dazzle the church sociable on
Monday night and third paralyze the
promenade on Tuesday night.
The installment plan enables these So and
$40 week young men to provide them
selves with a few costly articles of clothing
to be used in common, while the members
are bound to lend their hats, shoes, gloves
or canes to one another in time of need.
Thus they can change their clothes about
30 that it would appear that each one
owned dozen suits of clothes.
They are rather harmless set of mashers,
though they do talk big and use every cent
they get to appear like FOUNDERS and men of
fashion. Their extra dollars are strongly
attracted toward the pool room and the lot
terry Offices, and they are providing for the
future as fine an assortment of weakened
nerves and ffvbby muscles as their white
models.
A Pole who is dealer in clothing on the
installment plan states that he has about
300 negro families on his list. When a
woman wants a gorgeous dress she pays
him 81 down and so cents a week until the
debt is wiped out. AS the dress is used
only on swell occasions it may be made to
last until it is paid for. "They would go
without their grub to get good dress every
tiuIe," is his elegant explanation.